When Sam Met Frodo
“Sam and Frodo are both rescue cats. Frodo, the big orange guy with the furry feet, came from Home Alone Feline Rescue in 2011. He is part Maine Coon and part American bobtail. Lou and I had been thinking about getting a second cat as a companion for Frodo when I ran into Lee District School Board member Tammy Koufax at a community event in Springfield in August 2013..."
Rio Comes Back from College
Tory Cheshire, of Great Falls, on her horse, Rio, who is meeting her family’s german shepherd puppy, Hunter at the barn. Cheshire loved her horse so much that he went with her to college and lived at a barn near Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., for four years.
Best Friends of Great Falls
The late British-American writer Christopher Hitchens once wrote, "Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods."
Leslie Anthony’s ‘Horse and Hound’ on Exhibit at Katie’s Coffee House
Leslie Anthony is the guest artist exhibiting at Katie’s Coffee House (the Old Brogue), 760 Walker Road, Great Falls in March 2015. Titled “Horses and Hounds,” the show consists of oil paintings mostly of Virginia Equine scenes plus one acrylic surprise. “There is so much energy when one paints horses, whether running, jumping or sniffing a hound, or even just standing there.
Three Local Keller Williams Teams Among Top 100 in USA
Ron Cathell, the owner and operating principal, and Amina Basic, CEO of Keller Williams McLean/Great Falls office, announced three teams made 2014 “TOP100 Teams” Nationwide for Keller Williams. The following teams made it to the top 100 nationally: The Belt Team, HBC Realty Group and Ron Cathell Team ranked among the best in the country out of more than 100,000 associates. All three teams consist of a long time area residents.
Black History Month Celebrations
Local students learn about the history and accomplishments of African-Americans.
Fourth grade student Eli West crafted a poem this month that was modeled after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous, “I Have a Dream” speech.
Stalled Labor Market Slows County Budget
Proposed budget calls for no real estate tax rate increase, but average homeowner would pay $184 more.
Supervisor Jeff McKay pointed out an irony in County Executive Ed Long’s proposed $3.8 billion budget. Three planning positions would be eliminated from the budget even though Long suggested the county needs more efforts to raise revenue from commercial and industrial venues.
Oh Deer! What Can the Matter Be?
The county Park Authority used aerial infrared surveys via fixed-wing airplanes to count the number of deer inside parks and within a small distance in the surrounding neighborhoods on Feb. 6, 2014 and Dec. 27, 2013, according to the 2014 Annual Report on the Environment for Fairfax County.
Great Falls Grange Reopens
President of National Grange to speak at Great Falls Historical Society Program on March 11.
In a special program to celebrate the reopening of the Great Falls Grange building and to explore the history of the National Grange movement, Ed Luttrell, the 22nd President (Master) of the National Grange will be the keynote speaker at the March 11 program of the Great Falls Historical Society.
Scoring Baskets for Haiti in Great Falls
GF Hoops sponsors “Shots for Shots,” to help vaccination effort in Haiti.
GF Hoops shoots way beyond any basket by taking on an initiative to provide immunization shots for school-age children in Haiti. The children of Haiti are not permitted to attend school unless they have been immunized. The cost to immunize a child for a year? $1!
Stem Night at Great Falls Elementary
Great Falls Elementary students put their science skills, as well as imaginations, into action at the school’s third Annual STEM Night on Feb. 3. The Children’s Science Center brought its Mobile Labs to the school where students and their families got the opportunity to try various hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) experiments and activities.
I-66 Improvements Draw Crowd in Oakton
Public Information Meeting held at Oakton High.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in partnership with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) recently held several informational meetings on the “I-66 Outside the Beltway Improvements Project” to give the public the opportunity to better visualize its scope and ask questions of the people really in the know. One of these meetings was held at Oakton High School on Feb. 3 and drew a crowd of several hundred to the school cafeteria to learn more about the project that covers a 25 mile path from the 495 Beltway to Route 15 in Haymarket.
Exploring the Truth, Doubt and Consequences
1st Stage presents “Doubt.”
1st Stage has given audiences a beautifully accomplished, soaring production of “Doubt, a Parable.” Directed by Michael Dove, “Doubt” is a courageous act of intellectual and emotional honesty that is rare in its presentation of power, gender and ambiguity. It is rich in passionate dialogue to hold your attention.
It’s Time for a “Place”
The community of Great Falls is abundant with creative talent. Our ability to socialize our children into many layers of being in the world is truly remarkable: the home and school, the beach, the mountains and ski slopes, the world of the spirit, the arts, the sciences, technology, philosophy…exploration in nature, taking walks, journeying on the river, photographing nature, looking out the window while doing homework - connecting with the tree spirits, the herd of deer, the birds outside the window, all hanging out in the same tree. Our children have access to the knowledge of the world through the centuries on their phone, laptop or computer.
Pinball Kevin, Pinball Wizard
McLean man hosts state pinball championships.
Kevin Stone took out a loan to buy the 15 pinball machines in his McLean basement, the site of this year's Virginia state pinball championship. Virginia was one of 33 states to take part in the simultaneous championships on Saturday, Feb. 7. Stone's Harlem Globetrotters machine was built in 1979, others from Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball are contemporaries.